Cascade Pass & Sahale Arm 09-02-2018

My day started out driving before sunrise toward a hike I'd never done.  I watched the valleys turn rose and then lemon yellow.  As I neared Marblemount in the Skagit Valley, I saw a coyote trotting through a misty field.  Day already made.

The road into this hike is a bit over 15 miles of unpaved road out of the 23 miles you're on the road.  It is heavily wash-boarded and a bit rough, but you pass beautiful waterfalls and end up at the trailhead surrounded by sheer rock faces that stretch jagged into the sky.  Thick chunks of ice cling to them in the places the sun can't reach as well.

The trail starts out going up switchbacks for almost 3 miles.  I was expecting a leg burner, but thought these were actually pretty gentle.  It was cool to see the big old trees get smaller and more bent the further up I went.  I imagine it's tough against the increasing snow and wind in those high places.  Finally you come out in the sun and cross some rocky stretches before reaching Cascade Pass.  This was an excellent place to pull up a rock, say hi to some fellow hikers and look out over the views of the valley.

Pikas were scurrying everywhere, as were marmots.  The hillsides resounded with squeaks and whistles. One marmot was on a rock in the trail.  I didn't see him until I was almost stepping on him and he hopped off the rock.  I pulled out my camera to get his photo and he decided it wasn't worth waiting for me to leave and hopped right back on the rock by my feet.  I was so happy! 

I saw a grouse (I think?  Or is it a partridge or ptarmigan?) and her young ones, another similar bird later, chipmunks, ground squirrels, Douglas squirrels, a raven, a red tail hawk, and many other little wildlife, but I MISSED the bear!  I guess about 50 other hikers saw it today.  Bummer!  I'll have to go back.

Also very cool that there were still some late season flowers blooming along the trail.  The butterflies were flitting all around them.

After this, the trail really gets more serious about climbing.  Up and up to where you can see Doubtful Lake, and the cascade that flows into it. 

Then up and up more... I am pretty sure the trail leveled out in a few places, but I can mostly remember the climb.  Not just the steepness of the trail, but the rock steps in places. 

I started up the final scramble a ways, determine to push my aching muscles the last bit of the way, but I noticed my legs were getting shaky.  I thought about how embarrassing it would be if they didn't hold me up for the descent and called the hike right there.  By then I felt like I had reached the top of the world and could see all the rugged jagged peaks over the top of the peaks I had been looking at on the way up. 

Everyone on the trail was especially nice.  I don't know if it was just because they were all as delighted as I was with the incredible views and photogenic animals, but they smiled, chatted, greeted me, were polite at moving to the side or thanked me for moving aside... just a great bunch. 

By the time I got back to my vehicle it was 5pm, and I started hiking around 9am.  What a long wonderful day!  So worth the painful muscles!

Sunrise Mine Trail 09-01-2018

A hiker has been missing for a month today.  She climbed Vesper Peak and never made it back.  As a mom, and a fellow solo hiker, I have been really shaken up by this.  Vesper Peak shares the Sunrise Mine trailhead, and much of the trail with the Vesper Lake/Headlee Pass trail.  With my adventure dog at 9 yrs old and a longer hike planned for me tomorrow, I decided to hike just 2 miles in and just see if I could help at all, see anything, hear anything, have the dogs key in on anything.  We did not have any luck, but this trail is breathtaking.

This trail is not for the faint of heart or someone who thinks hiking is just walking through the woods.  You'll scramble over some boulders, amid loose rocks, do a lot of steep hiking, cross creeks on structures that are bridges only because you decide they are, and stumble over roots.

You even cross a little avalanche chute.

In the forested parts of the trail, you'll notice some pretty massive and gnarly trees.  Also some neat nature sculptures.

You can see the Sunrise Mine (I'm assuming - this could be another mine) from the trail.

When you get up into the last valley before the steep climb to Headlee Pass and on to Vesper Peak or Lake, you'll hear pika squeaks echoing.  If you look around, you might even see one.

Both Cedar and Luna seemed to love this trail, although both were equally glad when we made it back to the car.  They jumped up the jumps and leaped off the ledges, and Luna tried to climb every boulder by the trail.  In bribed Cedar to join her on this one.

The jagged rugged cliffs and peaks tower above you, reminding you of your real size, as mist sweeps slowly across them.

The brush was mainly mountain ash and delicious blue huckleberries.

The views are stunning, no matter which way you look.

At the end of this hike, I looked back toward the trailhead and this was my view.

I'll be back to this trail to get all the way to the lake, and eventually the peak.